Steam iron with wetting strip



E. G. DAHL STEAM IRON WITH WETTING STRIP Filed Aug. 8, 1947 INVENTOR.

Nov. 14, 1950 Patented Nov. 14, 1950 STEAM IRON WITH WETTING STRIP Elis Geijer Dahl, New York, N. Y.

Application August 8, 1947, Serial No. 767,573 In Sweden June 21, 1947 4 Claims.

My present invention relates to fiat irons and more particularly to flat irons provided with water and/or steam distributing means.

It is an object of my present invention to dampen the goods to be ironed during ironing in a simple and efficient manner.

It is another object of my present invention to provide a fiat ironwhich is constructed so as to avoid the necessity of use of a separate dampening cloth during ironing.

It is finally an object also of my present invention to provide a steam applying flat iron which is constructed so as to prevent the steam or hot water to reach directly the goods to be ironed.

With the above objects in view my present invention mainly consists in a fiat iron comprising in combination a body member having a fiat ironing bottom face, a wetting strip forming part of said flat iron and mounted so as to be adapted to move along said flat ironing bottom face of said body member during ironing, and means forming also part of the fiat iron for wetting the wetting strip.

I have found it advisable to provide in a fiat iron of the above type an endless wetting strip supported by two freely rotatable rollers mounted spaced from each other on the body of the fiat iron so that this endless wetting strip is adapted to slide along the flat ironing bottom face of the fiat iron during ironing.

The novel features which I consider as characteristic for my invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of a specific embodiment when read in connec tion With the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational section through a flat iron according to my present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the flat iron shown in Fig. 1.

My new fiat iron consists of a relatively fiat body member I provided as clearly shown in Fig. 2 with two lugs 2 at its front end and two lugs 2 at its rear end. These lugs 2 serve for supporting the freely rotatable parallel rollers 3 and 4. These rollers 3 and 4 in turn freely slidably support the endless wetting strip 5, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. This endless wetting strip 5 is, as shown in Fig. 2, somewhat narrower than the bottom face of the fiat body member I and also narrower than the rollers themselves.

In the flat body member I I provide two chambers arranged one above the other; the upper chamber 6 contains the heating element 8 for heating the body member I and the lower chamber 1 serves as water compartment which is heated by the above mentioned heating element 8 arranged in the upper chamber 6.

The upper chamber 6 containing the electric heating element 8 is closed on its top by a relatively thick insulating cover 9.

The heating element 8 itself is connected by conductors with an electric socket ii] mounted on the upper structure it of the flat iron. This upper structure [6 of the flat iron is provided on the opposite longitudinal sides of the body member l with downwardly reaching extensions ll secured by means not shown in the drawing to the body member; thus, the upper structure 16 and the body member I form one unit.

In the upper structure It I arrange a water container M which is connected by means of the conduit l3 with the water compartment 1 in the body member I. This water compartment in turn is connected with the small openings [2 in the flat ironing bottom face of the'body member I, so that water from the water container l4 flows slowly through conduit l3 into the water compartment 1 and therefrom passes through the openings I2 wetting the endless wetting strip I provide at the top of the water container M a water and air inlet opening which can be air tightly closed by means of a closure cap 18. When this closure cap I8 is air tightly closed, no air can enter the water container I4 and thereby any Water contained therein is unable to leave the same through conduit l3. The closure cap it is preferably provided with a gasket enabling airtight closing of the cap whenever desired, and with a coarse screw threading so that by partly unscrewing the cap, it is possible to permit leakage of air into the container l4, thereby adjusting the supply of water and/or steam through the distributing openings 12.

Usually, my new flat iron will be operated in such a manner that the compartment 7 is not filled with water, but that all water entering it through conduit I3 is immediately evaporated by the heat created by the heating element 8. The thus created steam is forced through the opening l2 into the dampening and wetting cloth strip 5.

I wish to note that the flat iron proposed by me has the added advantage that it enables observation of the entire surface of the goods to be ironed during ironing while use of a dampening cloth of conventional type covers usually a substantial part or the entire surface of the goods to be ironed.

Furthermore, the rollers 3 and 4 properly guide the iron during ironing and prevent creasing of the goods to be ironed at the front end of the iron.

While I have illustrated and described the invention as embodied in flat irons provided with an electric socket and an electric conductor, I do not intend to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of my invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of my invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A flat iron comprising in combination a body member having a flat ironing bottom face; a wetting stri mounted on said body member so as to be adapted to move along said flat ironing bottom face of said body member during ironing; holding means mounted on top of said body member; a flat water compartment embodied in said body member; a plurality of water distributing openings in said flat ironing bottom face of said body member connected with said flat water compartment in the same; a water container arranged in said body member above said water compartment; a conduit connecting said water container with said flat water compartment; a water and air inlet opening on the top of said water container; manually operable means for air tightly closing said water and air inlet opening on the top of said water container; and heating means embodied in said body member adjacent to said water compartment in said body member for heating said water compartment.

2. A flat iron comprising in combination a ironing; holding means mounted on top of said body member; a water compartment embodied in said body member; a plurality of water distributing openings in said flat ironing bottom face of said body member connected with said 6 water compartment in the same; a water container arranged in said body member above said water compartment; a narrow water conduit connecting said water container with said water Number compartment; heating means embodied in said body member adjacent to said water compartment in said body member for heating said water compartment; an electric socket mounted on said body member; and electric conductors connecting said heating means embodied in said body member with said electric socket mounted on said body member.

3. A flat iron comprising in combination a body member having a flat ironing bottom face; an endless wetting strip; two freely rotatable rollers, one at the front end of said body member and one at the rear end thereof, arranged so as to be adapted to support said endless wetting strip freely slidably along said flat ironing bottom face of said body member during ironing; holding means mounted on top of said body member; a water compartment embodied in said body; a plurality of water distributing openings in said flat ironing bottom face of said body member connected with said water compartment in the same; a water container arranged'in said body member above said water compartment; a conduit connecting said water container with said water compartment; heating means embodied in said body member adjacent to said water compartment in said body member for heating said water compartment; an electric socket mounted on said body member; and electric conductors connecting said heating means embodied in said body member with said electric socket mounted on said body member.

4. A flat iron comprising in combination a body member having a flat ironing bottom face; a wetting strip mounted on said body member so as to be adapted to move along said flat ironing bottom face of said body member during ironing; holding means mounted on top of said body member; a fiat water compartment embodied in said body member parallel to said fiat ironing bottom face thereof; a plurality of water distributing openings in said fiat ironing bottom face of said body member connected with said fiat water compartment in the same; a water container arranged in said body member above said water compartment; a water conduit connecting said water container with said fiat water compartment; and flat heating means embodied in said body member above said flat water compartment parallel to said flat ironing bottom face of said body member for heating said flat water compartment in said body member and said flat ironing bottom face of the same.

ELllS GEIJ ER DAHL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date 1,892,792 Thompson Jan. 3, 1933 2,200,455

R'orming May 14, 1940 

